Soil mapping of Mongolia Dr. Ochirbat BATKHISHIG Sodnomdarjaa IDERJAVHKLHAN Soil Laboratory Institute Geography Mongolian Academy of Sciences email: [email protected] Outlines • Introduction Mongolia, Environmental problems • Soil database of Mongolia • Case study Soil mapping of Kharaa river basin Central Mongolia • Soil mapping of Mongolia Mongolia is Central Asian country, extra‐continental climate conditions . Territory 1565 sq.km , Population 2.8 mln Average elevation is 1580 meter a.s.l. •Long, cold winters and short summers. •The country averages 257 cloudless sunny days a year. •Precipitation is highest in the north (average of 200 to 350 mm ) and lowest in the south 100 ‐200 mm annually. The extreme south is the Gobi, some regions of which receive no precipitation at all in most years. Land cover of Mongolia MODIS LANDSAT Environmental Problems • Climate warming in Mongolia, becoming very serious – Water recourse shortage – Permafrost melt – Desertification • Overgrazing as human impact on pasture land – Grazing land is 72.1 % of all territory • Steppe and forest ecosystems of Mongolia significantly drying last decades Climate change Last 70 years air temperature increased by 2.10 C (Ulaanbaatar) •This is 2 - 3 times more than World average World is 0.6-0.7o C Annual precipitation ranges 225.5‐269.2 mm, increased slightly by 10 mm Permafrost melting Soil properties decline Melted pingos Soil drying Wetland decline Most soil degraded in Central Mongolia, where more human impact 44,5 % or 700 thousand km2 area occupied by arid land or Gobi desert vulnerable for soil degradation Soil database of Mongolia Soil profile data Hard copy (More than 10 000 soil profile data) Digital format –Using Access, Excel Soil map data Soil maps of Mongolia , scale 1 : 1 000 000, 1 : 2 500 000, Soil map of different regions, scale 1 : 100 000, 1 : 200 000 Soil publications (mostly in Mongolian and Russian lang.) Books Articles Reports Soil map database of Mongolia Before 2000 Most soil maps on hardcopy • Bespalov N D, Soil map of Mongolia, 1951. Scale 1 : 5 000 000 • Andreev S I, Soil of Buyant river delta area, 1936 • Land Authority Office data 1970-1980 – Soil map 1 : 200 000, • Soil map of Mongolia, scale 1:2 500 000, 1980 • Soil map of Mongolia, scale 1 : 1 000 000. 1981 – Using air photos After 2000 Digital soil maps Soil maps of different regions of Mongolia Andreev S I, Soil of Buyant river delta area, 1936 Map quality 1 : 200 000 (1977) 1 : 1 000 000 (1981) + 1 : 200 000 (1977) 1 : 1 000 000 scale soil map better resolution Soil data before 2000 • Morphological characteristics • Soil horizon thickness Data available • General chemical properties – Organic content, pH, Calcium carbonate, exchangeable Ca, Mg, texture • No coordinate location • (example: west to soum center 10 km) • Not data about water physical properties Data lack – Only soil texture (Russian classification, Kachinskii) – Not much data about soil stone gravel content • Soil fine material less than 1 mm (Russian) • International standard is less than 2 mm. Soil geographical regions Case study Kharaa river watershed area (2008) Total 26 soil profiles 100 soil samples Used data for soil mapping Гарчиг Åðºíõèé Судалгааны аргазүй, зарчим Судалгаанд ашиглаж буй мэдээ Мэдээ боловсруулалт Судалгааны үр дүн Судалгаанд тулгамдаж байгаа асуудлууд Цаашид хийгдэх болон ирээдүйд хийгдэж болох ажлууд Outline Background Scientific methods, approaches Data Data preprocessing Results Problems for Soil study Outlook (Future works) (Scheme) Methods of soil mapping in the Kharaa basin Гарчиг Åðºíõèé 88 Зүсэлт Судалгааны аргазүй, зарчим 408 үе давхарга Судалгаанд ашиглаж буй 3264 ширхэг тоон мэдээ мэдээ (Humus, N, pH, Мэдээ боловсруулалт Exchangable Cations, Судалгааны үр дүн Sand, Silt, Clay, Bulk density) Судалгаанд тулгамдаж байгаа асуудлууд Цаашид хийгдэх болон ирээдүйд хийгдэж болох ажлууд Хөрсний Outline зүсэлтийн Background мэдээ Scientific methods, approaches Data Level 1 Data preprocessing Results Problems for Soil study Outlook (Future works) Урьдчилсан хөрсний зураг Level 2 10 May 2008 Field measurement Methods Quantities Soil profile morphological 120 Horizons, 26 profiles Sampling. Selected a specific horizons 100 samples of profiles /lower boundary/ Temperature Soil /active layer/ (C0) 104 definition horizons temperature measuring. In temperature the air and depths : 1, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 cm Moisture Soil moisture (%) 78 definition of horizons measurement by TDR. In the moisture depths 1, 5, 10, 20, 30 cm Density Soil density (kg/cm3) 78 definition of horizons measurement by density penetrometer In the depths 5, 10, 20, 30, 50 Infiltration rate Infiltration rate (cm/hour) by 26 profiles single ring infiltrometer. Water holding capacity Soil water holding capacity 2 cycles at 50 horizons measurement In the depths 5, 10, 20, 30, 50cm Soil name (Mongolian, FAO) Determination of soil name 26 profiles using field characteristics and FAO field keys PROFILE DESCRIPTION Profile No. MM-01 /Shavart/ Date : 2008-09-17 Time : 15-00 Location : N 47o 10’ 13.2” E 106o 49’ 44.9” Elevation : 1346 meter a.s.l. Geomorphic information: Landscape : Aside Natural zone : Forest Strata : North lower slope Surface gradient : 8 (degree) Physical status: Surface note: Surface stones: 0% Canopy cover : 60-70 % Dominant species: Betula sp, Larix sibirica, Populus sp, bush sp, forbs sp Soil type: Mountain forest dark-colored soils /Mollic Umbrisols/ Depth (cm) Moisture (%, VWC) Temperature (oC) Penetration resistance (kg/cm2) Air 513 8.7 0.5 10 20 14 7.2 1.75 30 40 15 6.7 3 50 5 Morphological description Soil type: Mountain forest dark-colored soils /Mollic Umbrisols/ O 0-3 very dark gray (10YR 3/1), no mottle, moist water state, clay loamy, sub-angular structure, many very fine to medium roots, abrupt smooth boundary AO 3-10 very dark gray (10YR 3/1), mottled, moist water state, clay loamy, sub-angular structure, many very fine to medium roots, abrupt smooth boundary A 10-24 black (10YR 2/1), moist water state, clay loam, angular structure, very fine to medium roots, abrupt smooth boundary AB 24-35 Dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3), moist water state, clay loam, sub - angular structure, abrupt smooth boundary B 35-50 Light Olive brown (2.5Y 5/3), moist water state, clay loam, angular structure, abrupt smooth boundary, stone 20-30% C 50-80 Light Olive brown (2.5Y 5/3), wet water state, clay loam, sub -angular structure, abrupt smooth boundary, stone 20-30% Laboratory analysis Methods Quantity Preparation of soil sampling Air dried soil samples, then 100 samples sieved by 2 mm sieve. Organic Carbon Tyurin 80 samples Nitrogen Kyeldal 80 samples Exchangeable Ca, Mg,Na,K 1 M NH4OAc 80 samples (meq/100g) Spectrophotemeter Available elements 1% NH4CO3 80 samples (mg/100g) Spectrophotemeter P2O5, K2O pH (H2O) 1 : 2.5 100 samples CaCO3(%) Volumetric 100 samples Particle size Pipette 100 samples Bulk density Cylinder 80 samples (x3) Particle density Picnometer 80 samples Porosity Calculation 80 samples Field capacity Gravimetric method 80 samples Permanent wilting point Gravimetric method 80 samples Saturation water content Calculation 80 samples Soil data converting to the constant horizons Original data Constant layers, cm Corresponding Weighted mean Organic Organic MM-01 Lower interval depth depth Organic matter, % matter, % matter, % 11.60 10 0-10 10 10 11.60 11.6 0‐10 6.91 14 6.91 10‐24 30 10-30 20 5.8 3.14 6 3.14 24‐35 0.68 5 3.14 35‐50 50 30-50 20 1.3 15 0.68 70 50-70 20 100 70-100 20 A50 0-50 50 5.1 For the further soil data processing and modeling purpose, soil horizon dates converted to the 0-10, 10-30, 30-50, 50-70, 70-100, 0-50 cm depth. Used weighted mean xi - soil date of i horizon wi - thickness of i horizon OR – organic matter %, in the depths 0-10, 10-30, 30-50, 50-70, 70-100, 0-50 cm depths Soils of Kharaa river basin Nature region FAO soil classification Mongolian soil classification Profile No. Leptosols Mountain meadow steppe High mountain 2 Leptic Umbrisols Mountain meadow 3 Mollic Umbrisols Mountain forest dark colored 1 Gelic Umbrisols Mountain taiga crymorphic soil 4 Mountain forest Umbrisols Mountain derno taiga 5 Phaeozems Meadow forest soil 10 Phaeozems Mountain dark colored peaty 14 Kastanozems Meal carbonated dark kastanozem 21 Steppe South Kastanozems Dark kastanozem 25 Kastanozems Dark kastanozem 26 Kastanozems Sairgarhag dark kastanozem 23 Kastanozems Dark kastanozem 7 Steppe Middle Chernozems Chernozem 9 Kastanozem Sceletic Sairgarhag kastanozem 13 Kastanozems Sandy dark kastanozem 11 Kastanozems Sandy kastanozem Steppe North 15 Kastanozem Arenic Sandy kastanozem 16 Mollic Arenosols Sand 17 Kastanozems Anthric Sandy kastanozem 18 Kastanozems Anthric Meal carbonated dark kastanozem Agriculture 19 Kastanozems Anthric Sandy non carbonated kastanozem 20 Kastanozems Anthric Sairgarhag dark kastanozem 22 Fluvisols Alluvial meadow derno 6 Floodplain Salic Fluvisols Alluvial meadow salty 8 Fluvisols Alluvial meadow stepped 12 Salty depression Solonchak Solonchak 24 High Mountain soil FAO soil Mongolian soil classification classification Leptosols Mountain meadow steppe Leptic Umbrisols Mountain meadow Mountain forest soil Mollic Umbrisols Mountain forest dark Gelic Umbrisols Mountain taiga cryomorphic Umbrisols Mountain derno taiga Phaeozems Meadow forest soil Steppe soil North steppe soil Loamy, Sandy, less stony, more agriculture suitable Middle steppe soil Loamy, Silt, stony, more agriculture suitable in west South steppe soil Silt loam, more stony, less agriculture suitable Floodplain